


Donatello's love-hate relationship with the Battle Nexus

by turtlesketches



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Adventure, F/M, Romance, battle nexus, jhannatello, that trope where they end up alone and fall in love while trying to survive yeah
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 03:13:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7491171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turtlesketches/pseuds/turtlesketches
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The turtles return to the arena to test their mettle, but Don is forcibly separated from his brothers, with an injured Jhanna determined to make his life as difficult as possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sourpuss

**Author's Note:**

> I had started this to be an RP, but my partner never got back to me after I wrote the starter...but I loved the idea too much to just let it drop! All comments and ideas are appreciated. :) Will change the summary soon.

“Wait up, guys!” Don called irritably, yanking his duffel bag through the rapidly closing portal window. His brothers and sensei were already up ahead, and he jogged to catch them up. The Battle Nexus arena loomed over them ominously.

“ _Try_ to keep up Donnie-boy! I know it’s hard when you’re competing with the BATTLE NEXUS CHAMPION-”

Raph hit Mikey on the head, which thankfully put an abrupt end to his constant boasting. Don grimaced. The Nexus had been nothing but trouble for their family, and he was apparently the only one to see it. His sensei seemed overcome with nostalgia just by being here, Leo was already perked up like a meerkat looking for Usagi, Raph’s insatiable bloodlust seemed to grow with every step, and Mikey was, of course, flaunting his title for all to see.

It didn’t help Don’s unease that the last time, he was kicked from the tournament in the first round. Leo didn’t let him forget it. _‘A team is only as strong as its weakest link,’_ His older brother had scolded him every training session since then, using a quote he must’ve pulled from some cheesy book. Maybe he forgot who defended his unconscious ass from a group of _invisible_ _assassins_ for over an hour, with a stick. Weakest link. He’ll show them.

The group stopped when the ethereal being Gyoji materialised before them at the gates, and confirmed their registration for the games. Leo asked where he could find his samurai friend, and then Splinter was led off to the Daimyo, leaving Don with Raph and Mikey and no instructions. He sighed. This was what he called ‘babysitting’; it was now his job as the responsible sibling to keep his brothers out of trouble. _I’m not their keeper_ , he thought irritably, kicking at a stone in his path.

“Why’re you such a sourpuss today?” Raph mumbled, spinning his sai. Mikey had raced over to a market stall where his face was plastered on some ugly-looking dolls. Don looked up at his red-banded brother. Raph looked… _happy_. The Nexus was his dream. Battling skilled foes in front of a cheering crowd, where his sheer physical strength and power could be unleashed and awarded. It was Don’s idea of a waste of time, but that was selfish thinking. Everyone else wanted to be here. He forced a smile.

“Just didn’t sleep well, I guess,” He lied. He glanced sideways at his brother. “D’you reckon Trax’ll be here?”

Raph brightened noticeably at the mention of his Triceraton friend, but then schooled his expression into a more natural-looking scowl. “Nah. This place ain’t enough of a fight for a guy like ‘im.” Don knew that Raph was trying not to get his own hopes up of seeing the dinosaur.

They continued down the stalls slowly, waiting for a call from Leo, or a summons to the arena. Don wished there was some place they could stay where he could stash his bag, which Leo had told him not to bring. But that was like telling Leo to leave his _katanas_ behind. They just didn’t get it.

The Battle was a whole-day event, which had meant an early wake-up call for the brothers. Don stopped at a stall which had something that looked like a coffee bean painted on the sign, with high hopes of an energising drink, when he felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck. Someone was watching him. He didn’t have many friends in the world, let alone the Nexus, so he guessed that whoever it was probably weren’t very friendly. He gripped his bo staff a little tighter. But then again, he thought, still idly waiting in line at the stall, maybe it was just someone who thought he was Mikey- the current champion. More plausible, but also an assumption more likely to get him killed if he let his guard down. He pinched the bridge of his mask, wished for the hundredth time that he was back in front of his computer in the lair, and turned around.

A very, very familiar blue alien stood not 20 feet away. She was covered in glittering steel armour, had thick braids down to her shoulders…and was smiling at him. Don’s heart leapt into his throat.

“ _Jhanna!_ ”

As soon as he stepped forward, guards flanking her dropped their spears into a defensive position wearily, but the Omatran queen waved a hand at them. “It is ‘Prime Magistrate’ now, Donatello,” She said warmly, clapping a hand on his shoulder in greeting.

“I- I never thought that you’d be here! How stupid of me, of course!” Don babbled breathlessly, suddenly unable to get enough oxygen in his lungs. Her hand was searing heat on his skin even through her glove. 

“I have missed the sport of battle, and thought the Nexus would be a good arena to sharpen my skills again. Imagine my surprise knowing that you had already come through here too,” She laughed, nodding at the Mikey dolls. “You will have to fill me in. Were you in the final rounds as well?”

Donatello blushed with sudden shame. “No, I…I didn’t make it that far.” At Jhanna’s curious look, he added, “But our sensei thinks we are ready to try again, and I expect to fight better this time.”

“Then I look forward to seeing you in the ring, boy,” She smiled, her teeth glinting in the weak light of the Nexus.

Don stared blankly after her as she swept off down the street, his mind a mess and his body buzzing with adrenaline after just that short encounter. She had treated him like a friendly acquaintance, Don realised slowly. And that was really all he was, wasn’t he? They hadn’t even kissed, on Earth. Everything he’d done could be chalked up as gentlemanly behaviour. Jhanna didn’t know that Don had spent the better part of a year thinking of her late at night, or daydreaming about a life on her planet. He was just a friendly Earthling to her. A young boy, even. Shame flooded him again, and he hated himself for thinking about her in all the ways she’d never considered him.

“Don? Who was that?”

Mikey waddled up beside him, laden with his own merchandise and trying to stuff a fistful of sweet dough into his mouth. He squinted at the blue figures marching away.

“Someone we used to know. C’mon, we better find Leo,” Don said shortly, hiking his bag further up on his shoulder, suddenly determined to win the championship title more than anything. He’d do it for her.


	2. Oh My God, Leo.

His bo staff connected solidly with the beasts’ head- or it would have, had the beast not been whisked away in a flash of blue light to the medi-centre. A fatal hit, then. Don leaned over and grasped his knees, gasping for breath. He wasn’t used to dealing out blows meant to kill. That was one thing that Leo and Master Splinter had never quite been able to drum into him- the instinct to go for deadly strikes when the opportunity arose. It wasn’t in his nature, and it was the reason he hadn’t progressed any further than the first round the last time they were here.

“Roll call!” He heard Leonardo shout from somewhere else in the ring.

“Here!” Raph yelled triumphantly.

There was a bang, and then- “HA! Mikey trumps all!” From another corner.

“Here!” Don shouted, and laughed when his brothers answered back with whoops and hollers. They’d all made it through the first round. He looked up at the Daimyo’s box seat, and waved at Splinter, who gave him a double thumbs-up. _Cute, dad_ , Don thought with a grin.

“Without further ado,” The Daimyo called, “The next round will commence. May the best win.” Don steeled himself for whoever came next, gripping his staff tighter. The large wall in front of him slid down in the dais, and he felt a twinge of disappointment that his opponent wasn’t yet the blue queen. _What if we never get to fight together?_ He thought worriedly, as he began to circle the creature who seemed to be emulating the Rock. _What if I get knocked out of the ring again, or she gets knocked out before the semi-finals- no, that’s impossible, but- but- what if I do face her, what then? Do I gallantly lose? Would I even be able to win against Jhanna? What-_

A huge fist came down and grazed his shoulder as he leapt away, and Don cursed inwardly. _Concentrate!_

He scanned the monster for weak points, thinking of a similar scene in the movie Galaxy Quest… ‘It's a rock! It doesn't have any vulnerable spots!’ He tried to remember how that monster had been defeated. With some kind of blast weapon? He only had a stick. Don dodged another (slow) punch and swung himself up onto the creature’s back, hooking his bo around what he hoped was its throat, and heaving with all his might. The rock didn’t budge, and he was plucked off the monster’s back and thrown across their small arena.

Don sat up with a grunt and rubbed his head. _Alright, that didn’t work._ The ground shook and Don scrambled to his feet as the monster charged at him, narrowly avoiding being flattened as it ran into the wall behind him. The creature shook its head as if dazed, and tried to focus on him once more. Don brightened. _Aha! Use its own strength against it._

He sheathed his bo and began to run, hoping his trick would work successively. He stood at the opposite end and tried teasing the beast into another gallop that it wouldn’t be able to stop in time before hitting the wall. He ran around the block like that for quite a while; the monster thundering behind him leaving impact craters in the walls. After another incredible crash, it stopped, apparently stupefied. Don suddenly felt a bit sorry for the poor thing. It obviously wasn’t very bright. But he was on a mission.

“Come _on_ , you big idiot! You can’t lay a hand on me!” He said, turning around, bending over and shaking his rear from side to side mockingly. That seemed to do the trick- the monster went berserk, and Don nervously waited, poised to jump out of the way as it barrelled towards him- its huge swinging arms barely missed him as Don used the rock creature’s bulk to flip over him out of the way, and it disappeared into blue light instead of the wall. He had done it. He grinned up at the stadium, the noise of the crowds finally reaching his ears, and was engulfed in a purple light.

“I swear that was Mikey down there instead of you,” Raph said from his left. Don looked around- he was in some big waiting room filled with the contestants for the next round. His other brothers joined them at the window as he laughed.

“You guys were watching?”

“You were the last one to finish; we _all_ got to watch, and I’m glad we did,” Leonardo said with a chuckle. “That was a pretty tough match-up, but you really nailed it.”

“The tail-feather taunt was my personal favourite,” Mikey chimed in, and slapped Don on his rump. “That rock-dude sure wanted your ass.”

“I don’t blame him really,” Don grinned, nudging his brother. “It’s a pretty fine behind.”

Mikey and Raph soon disappeared as the smell of food drifted over, leaving Don with Leo.

“Was I really the last one?” Don asked in despair, feeling the familiar weakest-link guilt. Leo clapped him on the shoulder.

“Yes, but time isn’t as important as you might think in some of these battles,” Leo admitted. He rolled his shoulder and winced. “You’re also probably the least damaged. I got paired up with some guy who had a hammer he could whip around like Thor himself. Pretty hard to block something like that with swords.”

“You both did well,” A smooth voice said behind Donatello. Don almost jumped out of his skin.

“Wait, I know you,” Leo smiled, striding up to Jhanna with as much grace as he ever had. Don’s face flushed. _Now, why can’t I do that?_ “Yes, you were that warrior back at the farmhouse last year, with the political issues- forgive me, what was your name? Jorna? Jarrah?”

_IT’S JHANNA, GOD, LEO._

“Jhanna, but I am now called Prime Magistrate, if you will,” She corrected, not unkindly. Leo nodded and reached out a hand in greeting, but she stared at it curiously until he shrugged and tucked his thumbs into his belt. Don wanted to melt through the floor with all his second-hand embarrassment.

“Of course, Prime Magistrate. You remember my brother, Donatello?”

Jhanna turned to him instead and he knew he was bright red. “I liked your technique,” was all she said, the corner of her mouth quirking upwards. Don basked in her praise for a short moment until her eyes flicked down to around ass-level and he realised she was making fun of him for mooning the rock guy. Then he wanted to die.

The three of them stood around while Donatello worked to think of something clever to say. That hot-all-over feeling was back with a vengeance and he settled on mumbling an almost inaudible ‘thank you’. _Wow, that’ll knock her socks off. Way to go._ Leo cleared his throat after a long moment, shooting a confused and annoyed glance at Donatello. “Well, I guess we’ll see you later on, Prime Magistrate. It was an honor to meet you again, here and hopefully in the arena.” 

She bowed her head, and Leo dragged Don away by the arm to find Mikey and Raph presumably. Don risked a glance over his shoulder, and could have sworn Jhanna was staring at his bottom.


End file.
